


Keep Moving Forward

by AmericanTheoristBros



Series: The Last Avenger Series [2]
Category: Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 | Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World (Anime), Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Crossover, F/M, Older Eren Yeager
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:33:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23240281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmericanTheoristBros/pseuds/AmericanTheoristBros
Summary: Subaru is tired, both emotionally and physically, of losing his friends over and over again. He hates himself, and he's down on his luck, but one man reaches out to him, even if unintentionally, and gives him words that makes him keep moving forward, and run into hell for the first time. Spoiler for the manga of Attack on Titan, and up to the recent episode of Re:Zero. Two shot.
Series: The Last Avenger Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1680640
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys. Now, like a few of my stories, scratch that, all of my stories, I looked into a story I wanted to read, in this case, the attack on Titan crossover with Re:Zero, in FF and AO3, but I couldn't find it, which kind of surprised me. If someone finds another Re:Zero and Attack on Titan crossover, or makes one, can they send me the title? But, regardless, I wanted to make one where Subaru sees something that wasn't meant for him after his death in episode 15/16, but something that helped him regardless after hearing Rem's speech and Wilhelm's speech. Spoiler warning for chapter 97 of Attack on Titan. Anyways, let's start the first and only chapter of Keep moving forward. Try playing Apple Seed, or Bertholdt's theme over this.

I walked straight into cold hell twice, not knowing my fate. I was destined to repeat my mistakes, not having learned from them.

"Sleep, along with my daughter."

"You are truly slothful, Subaru."

My head fell off my neck, and darkness filled my body, and my mind.

'I'm sorry… Rem… Emilia… Petra… everyone."

Their eyes... shone with so much darkness.

"You were right… Emilia… Rem…'

The memories of the past few days, which to me, was several weeks, ran through my mind, as I looked upon the Shadow that was Puck.

Emilia, no matter what timeline, saving me, helping me. Listening to me.

'And what did I do for her? I did nothing compared to what she did for me. She saved me, comforted me, and helped me in more ways than she can possibly know.

I looked at the shadow... guilt filling my heart again.

'She owes me a debt that she can never pay back?'

I laughed at myself.

'What kind of idiot am I? I can never pay her back. I'm… useless...'

I closed my eyes with those thoughts.

After Puck decapitated me, I thought I would go back.

I was ready... to run for the hills.

I couldn't be the hero... that Emilia wanted of me.

But, for several seconds, I felt… nothing.

I opened my eyes, and then, a man appeared in front of me. He was one eyed, broken, with a bandage covering his right eye.

His eye… looked like mine.

I was looking in the mirror... at my true self, trying to keep the wave of emotions inside me, day by day.

His long hair extended beyond his shoulders, and he held a crutch in one arm, supporting his right arm, but his right arm was slumped over it.

'What? Who are… you?'

The man looked away, and the environment around me changed. I felt that I was sitting on a bench, unlike me standing up or sleeping on my bed. I tried speaking, but my voice refused to work.

Since I couldn't speak, I turned around, looking at the world around me.

I was in what looked like a hospital, with people, young and old, injured around me.

Some looked to have experienced more death than I had.

They looked… the same as I did. Broken.

"How did things get to be this way?" The long haired man said.

The hand, who I thought was the jealous witch, tried pulling me back, but this time, I resisted.

'No. Let… me… stay!'

I tried to resist, trying to listen to the man.

"Both their bodies and minds, rotting away, their freedom stolen, every single bit of it. They've lost their entire self confidence as well."

He looked at me through the corner of his eye.

"If people knew they would end up this way, I don't think anyone would agree to go to the battlefield in the first place."

I remembered thinking about going to another world, like it was nothing.

That I would become the strongest.

That I would become... the smartest.

The hero... of the story.

How naive I was.

'Yeah. Who would ever go into another world if they would end up like me?'

I looked down, and I stopped struggling against the witch.

I surrendered my freedom... for her.

However, for some reason, the witch stopped pulling on me, and rapidly disappeared on me.

The air cleared of the miasma... and I felt like a huge weight had been lifted, temporarily, off my shoulders.

I heard the man loud and clear.

"But everyone is burdened by a certain "something" and they plunge head-first into hell."

The multiple deaths that I had been through... I relived dying.

"In most cases… that "something" is not their own will. Usually, it's the environment, or other people's expectations, and that leaves them with no choice."

I saw every girl, from Felt to Rem to Emilia, all smiling at me, then, the next frame showed them taken away, by the witch, by evil, by Beetleguise, or... by me.

'I'm sorry… everyone. I didn't listen. You all… died, because I couldn't save you all...'

I felt like tears were about to come out.

"However…" The man continued, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"The hell those who choose to burden themselves see... is different."

'Huh?'

I looked to the man... and his eye.

He looked forward... longingly.

"On the other side of that hell, they can see something."

The scene shifted.

In his place... I saw an opening, where their was nothing but a light, at the end of the tunnel.

"The thing they see might be hope."

I wandered, until I saw… all the girls, smiling back at me, holding the kids from the village in their arms. They looked beyond happy, and I saw an engagement ring on Emilia and Rem. Both blew a kiss to me, and it made me blush, and look away from them for a split second.

"Or it could just be another hell."

I looked again, and the image flickered. I then saw… the village kids, all the girls, Rem, Emilia, Ram, Beatrice, Felt... some unknown... Dead, all of them. Their lifeless bodies, peppering my sight, with blood spilling over the floor.

I felt like throwing up, again. I held all of their lifeless bodies against me, but it didn't do anything.

I couldn't stop it.

"But you'll never know…"

Interrupting my thoughts again, the man looked straight at my eyes, piercing through my soul. As if he had directed towards me.

"Unless you keep moving forward."

A voice appeared in my head, which sounded similar to the man in front of me.

"If you win, you live!" He seemed to be out of breath, as if he were being choked.

"If you lose, you die!"

Then, his next words reached me.

"If you don't fight, you cannot win!"

The witch's grip on me reached out again, and increased in strength, but this time, I didn't look away. I didn't try to resist. I pulled her grip away from me, and went towards the source of her arm.

'He's… right. I have to keep fighting, keep moving forward.'

At first, I walked towards the source of the darkness.

'I have to fight. Until Emilia becomes the queen. Until Betelgeuse is dead. Until the cult is dead. Until… I become a person… one who will be able to save everyone.'

Then, with my thoughts, I ran, sprinting towards an uncertain future, and an uncertain death. The darkness filled through me, but I kept running. I didn't know what would happen once I woke up, but I kept running. I still kept running, because, like the man said, I won't be able to see that future unless I,

"Keep moving forward."

Those words carried me on, as I ran towards hell for the first time, ready to fight for a better future.


	2. Unexpected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn this episode! It kept pulling me back into making another follow up for Keep moving forward. So, a second chapter of this one shot, technically now a two shot, will focus on the latest episode. Damn this episode was creepy. Well, at least that means I'll finish this. So let's go onto the second chapter of Keep Moving Forward.

The shadow of Emilia… kissed me.

All to the grave, I couldn't help but say,

"I'm sorry."

I understood who Emilia was now.

She wasn't this perfect person, with the strongest powers, the most kind heart.

She was… a normal half elf.

She had many fears... and I put her through it infinitely.

Only I had to carry that burden. Not her.

She deserved everything… that she never got.

Love.

Compassion.

Respect.

Not this… shit hole, where she had to be mentally broken… with no one to comfort her.

I was alone as I died, even as I was kissed. Her eyes… were the last thing I saw before I died.

Those broken, beautiful eyes. Uncontained pain. Suffering.

As I closed my own, I tried to prepare myself.

I was on the icy ground of the sanctuary… now alive.

But my soul.. was nearly destroyed.

The loop… was about to restart.

Or so I thought.

Memories came back to me. Like a blast of wind.

_The promise I made… came back to me._

_'I have to fight. Until Emilia becomes the queen. Until Betelgeuse is dead. Until the cult is dead. Until… I become a person… one who will be able to save everyone.'_

Even so… I couldn't move from my spot.

I was stuck.

I… couldn't figure out what to do.

Then, someone appeared.

"Oi. What are you doing?"

The person acted like Ram… but I couldn't hear any trace of her voice in the man.

"Stand up! Fight!"

He sounded harsh… but not angry.

He sounded… like a friend.

"You were given Return by Death for a reason."

My eyes widened.

I looked over at him.

He had a green jacket on, with golden blades, an a weird machine attached to his hips.

"I… can't find out. I can't… figure it out."

Tears started to leak out of my eyes.

Then, I was met by a kick to the groin.

"Oww!"

More tears.

"Come on Subaru. You're going to give up? Now, of all times?"

"What do you know?!"

I stood up and tried to tackle him… but he sent me flying into the wall.

My bones broke, and I collapsed to the floor, trying hard to stay alive.

Then… the injuries disappeared.

"I know that you love Emilia like the world. She means everything to you."

Then man didn't even move.

I was scared again.

"Subaru… I'm not going to kill you. It's not only pointless, you're also my friend."

That didn't ease my worries.

"Fri… friend?"

That… shocked me.

This man, who I didn't even know, called me his friend.

He sighed.

"There is too much you don't know about this world, Subaru. You will learn it though, and conquer this world, metaphorically speaking."

I couldn't comprehend everything.

My brain was ten steps behind this man.

"Subaru… focus. Cry later. Pain is only for those you care about to show."

He sighed again.

"And I'm not one of those people yet."

I sat back up.

"What… are you?"

"Your friend."

His calmness unnerved me.

"What friend?! I don't even know you!"

He chuckled.

"Not in this life, you don't. You will know me, though."

My brain was racking itself for answers.

Something. Anything.

But nothing.

I was preparing myself for him to hurt me.

Kill me.

But nothing happened.

He put his hand on my head.

"Damn. You look weird looking anything other than a spring onion."

He ruffled my hair like I was his kid.

"Damn. I miss the old spring onion you."

He laughed.

"Spring onion?! What?!"

He continued to laugh at my expense.

"Sorry, it's just so fun to talk to you again. Sorry for sending you flying. I was a little too serious."

"Serious and killing intent are different things!"

He smiled, ignoring what I said.

"But anyways, Subaru."

He stared into me, his smile fading.

"Don't cry now. Wait till your Emilia-tan is awake."

He looked at her sleeping

"She's a good person, along with Rem."

"R...em?"

"Yeah, I know her, Subaru. I know her."

I… gained strength once again.

He knew Rem.

No tears left my eyes.

"How… do you know about her?"

"Because she's one of your wives. Why else?"

He said that as if that was the most normal thing in the world.

"WAIT, WHAT?!"

He muffled my mouth.

"Keep it down, won't you, Senku?"

As soon as that name left his mouth… new memories flooded my head.

Then… I knew exactly what to do.

I became quiet.

He released his hand from my mouth… and I looked at him with new eyes.

"You knew that name, and you said that on purpose… didn't you?"

He nodded.

"Why? Why say it at all?"

"Because… you were mentally broken. Those memories will stich it together somewhat."

"But…"

"Would you rather not remember that? That night with Emilia and Rem?"

I smiled.

"I don't think I have a choice on the matter. I'm forgetting this anyways, right?"

He snorted.

"Looks like some of that 300 IQ has gotten back into your brain."

I chuckled a bit.

"Why do this, though? My brain will forget this moment. You can't make me remember it, can you?"

He shook his head.

"It's not for you. It's for them."

He looked over at Emilia, who was still asleep.

"She and Rem, and Beatrice, and Petra, and… Crusch…. They all matter to you."

He looked… sad.

"I've seen what happens to you in other timelines. Where your soul breaks down. When… you go crazy, hurting everyone you wanted to protect."

My eyes widened.

Before then, I hadn't considered the other options.

Other choices.

But now… my soul couldn't forget that.

"One timeline, you destroy this entire country, Reinhardt, and you die in Emilia's arms. She asks… why? Another timeline, where you don't get convinced by Rem, and you leave off with her, but… at the cost of everyone else. They all die."

I was bombarded with even more information… but I understood what he meant.

The slightest wrong move… and I'd be in trouble.

Along with everyone else.

"So.. this information… will be attached to your soul. You'll forget everything… until we meet again."

He stood up, creating a portal.

"Until then… keep moving forward, Subaru."

He gave me a small salute, with two fingers.

My soul… wouldn't forget what he told me next.

"There's a bright future waiting for you, at the end of the tunnel. Till then…"

As I forgot the conversation, and my memories, my soul had his words, deeply ingraved on it.

"Keep moving forward."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the second chapter. I might make another third chapter, bit for now, this will be the only other chapter I publish for this story. Anyways, thanks for reading, and I got to go to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's the last chapter of keep moving forward. This story will connect to the Last Avenger eventually, because I think a crossover between every anime and the avengers really would work. With all that said, what do you think of it? Review, do all those things that you do on this site. Bye, I got to work on the Last Avenger.


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